Chapter 101

Even though Stephanie didn't like Elizabeth—the wild girl or whatever people called her—she couldn't deny the girl's special background. Plus, her own son had a thing for her. Since it was someone from her own circle, of course she didn't like the idea of others sniffing around. "Tsk tsk, did you see what happened to Mrs. Mason? That was brutal. Did you hear the gossip? She used to be a housekeeper's daughter or something." "Seriously? I thought she came from some elite family. Turns out she's just ordinary. No way she climbed that high with clean hands." "Honestly, that Elizabeth girl didn't even look her way from the start. Mrs. Mason was the one who picked a fight..." All those juicy whispers hit Vanessa like a ton of bricks. She wanted to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat. Rage and shame twisted inside her, and next thing she knew—bam—blood spilled from her mouth. "Mom, are you okay?" Edward scrambled to catch her, panic written all over his face. Vanessa, proud as ever,